Most Marin schools to see big jump in state funding

The majority of Marin school districts would receive big funding increases under a new state formula, but the amounts vary widely and some districts would see no gains, according to state estimates.

The estimates from the California Department of Finance show how each district in the state would fare under Gov. Jerry Brown's dramatic overhaul of school funding, called the Local Control Funding Formula. Brown's proposed formula is designed to simplify school finance and direct money to schools with more English learners, poor students and foster children.

"Those are the students who have the greatest challenges for learning and the formula is designed to give them the greatest opportunity to succeed," H.D. Palmer, head of external affair for the finance department, said in an interview.

The elementary schools portion of San Rafael City Schools would receive the largest increase of Marin's major school districts. The district would receive $10,133 per student in 2019-20, when the formula takes full effect, up 57.2 percent from $6,447 last year, according to the finance department.

The gains reflect the district's large population of economically disadvantaged students and English learners, who make up 58.3 percent and 41.7 percent of the student body, respectively.

The Novato Unified School District, which also has sizeable groups of students in those categories, would see its funding increase 47.9 percent over the same period to $9,341 in 2019-20, up from $6,314 last year.

Marin school officials said it is too soon to understand the impacts of new formula on their budgets.

Karen Maloney, chief financial officer for the Novato district, said she is encouraged by the funding increases but there is still much to be learned about the new formula.

"We're still evaluating, as all districts are," she said.

Nine districts in Marin will receive little or no funding increases, mostly because they have local property taxes that exceed the state funding levels. For example, Ross School District would receive $10,419 per student in 2019-20, unchanged from last year but still higher than the funding for San Rafael and Novato in the same year.

The tiny Laguna Joint School District would see its funding more than double over eight years to $16,980 under the state estimates. The district has only 12 students — the majority are English learners — at one school near the Sonoma County border. Laguna also receives special funding for rural education.

Principal and teacher Pamela Brambila she said she was expecting little or no funding increase.